refurbishing electronics

[Bitter Ashes]

Ok. I admit it. I hoard junk.

At the bottom of my tower block I find DVD players, TV's, fridges, microwaves, computers, etc by the bucket load. I always pick them up when I see them as I don't like the idea of them getting shipped off to a landfill by the council. I've sold quite a few of these for between £3 to £25 a pop depending on what they are.

The thing is though, most of them are dumped for a reason. They're broken. Unless it's an obviously faulty solder or just needs the dust blowing off then they stay in my flat forever. The end result is that now my flat looks like that landfill I was trying to avoid.

So, I've been thinking. Could I take a broken electrical item, rip out the working components and use them to replace broken components in another item? A bit like Frankenstein's monster I suppose! lol

I'm slightly red-green colourblind, which is an issue in identifying stuff like resistors, but I was wondering if a possible solution is to get a digital multimeter or something to counter that, which would also have the advantage of testing that the component is in working order.

For shifting the items off the boards, I was thinking that I could get out my soldering iron and pull the sensitive components off one by one. For stuff that I'm confident can cope with it, use a heatgun to melt all the solder in one go.

Then I can store all my components in a labelled tray system or something and when I get a broken item just pull the broken component out and replace it with a working one from my tray.

Am I on the right track here, or barking up the wrong tree completely?

[t.shonku]

Ok. I admit it. I hoard junk.

At the bottom of my tower block I find DVD players, TV's, fridges, microwaves, computers, etc by the bucket load. I always pick them up when I see them as I don't like the idea of them getting shipped off to a landfill by the council. I've sold quite a few of these for between £3 to £25 a pop depending on what they are.

The thing is though, most of them are dumped for a reason. They're broken. Unless it's an obviously faulty solder or just needs the dust blowing off then they stay in my flat forever. The end result is that now my flat looks like that landfill I was trying to avoid.

So, I've been thinking. Could I take a broken electrical item, rip out the working components and use them to replace broken components in another item? A bit like Frankenstein's monster I suppose! lol

I'm slightly red-green colourblind, which is an issue in identifying stuff like resistors, but I was wondering if a possible solution is to get a digital multimeter or something to counter that, which would also have the advantage of testing that the component is in working order.

For shifting the items off the boards, I was thinking that I could get out my soldering iron and pull the sensitive components off one by one. For stuff that I'm confident can cope with it, use a heatgun to melt all the solder in one go.

Then I can store all my components in a labelled tray system or something and when I get a broken item just pull the broken component out and replace it with a working one from my tray.

Am I on the right track here, or barking up the wrong tree completely?


Hey nice to see someone finally bring out this topic ! :):)


I am a tinkering guy myself, I have a background in Engineering but my past time is still tinkering .

Yes off course you can reuse the components , but you being color blind may cause some problem while reading the color codes, but nothing to worry about use a good digital multimeter Fluke company manufactures the best ones. Also while desoldering be careful as some components are vulnerable to static.Also be careful with that firestick.


I myself build a bunch of RF projects by ripping out parts from old radios and TVs , most people this days do this because through hole packages and analog devices are becoming so rare


Happy build

[Bitter Ashes]

Thanks. I'll take care to ensure that I'm earthed so I'm not building up any static. Although this has actually made me think of something. I know that some circuits, such as PSU's can store charge in them long after they've been disconnected, sometimes at dangerous levels. Anything I should be careful about and any suggestions on how to avoid getting fried?

[ellipsis]

Sounds like a cool project. I am glad that i have limited space with my smalll, shared studio apartment, so i don't accumulate too much random dumpster scores.

good luck.!

[-marx-]

The problem with measuring the Ohms of resistors in the circuit is that the other resistors in the circuit can and often do give off false readings for the resistor you are trying to read. This doesn't always happen and depends on the position each resistor is in an how others are connected to it via the PCB trace. Not to mention that almost all modern electronics use SMD technology which makes salvaging parts all but impossible for the average person.

Also with digital electronics, a lot of them operate on software and unless you have the program to read it/repair it the broken product is practically useless.

De-soldering ICs is not really worth it, especially with out a heat sink, as they have numerous pins and overheating is almost guaranteed, hence, frying the IC.

Modern consumer electronics are junk, they are made to be thrown out when no longer working. They are not designed to be fixed.

Old tube/valve TVs, amps & radios are a different story, they are easily fixable and are great.

As far as salvaging and repairing electronics goes for a non professional, the older the item the better. Stick with analog and preferably tube/valve technology and it can be a lot of fun.
Not saying you can't repair digital, not at all, most times it's just not worth the trouble.

:)

Oh, you will also want to be aware of large capacitors. They can and often do store a charge in them that can kill you. If you are interested in this do some googling as theres quite a bit on "discharging capacitors".

[Kotze]

Stupid semi-offtopic question: If one has issues distinguishing some colours, why not look through something tinted, like these dorky red-green 3D glasses?

[Lynx]

Electronic components are very reliable when not exposed to sunlight. The more likely to fail components are those that handle higher wattage.

Salvaging components may not be practical when the wire leads are short. I would avoid desoldering electrolytic capacitors with short leads, some of these contain oil and can explode.

Building experimental stuff is more worthwhile than repairing devices which are obsolete and consume more energy than newer models. Where I live we have a recycling program for consumer electronics. More jurisdictions are implementing these as the amount of electronics waste increases. Rare elements can be recovered from circuit boards.

[Zapatas Guns]

I refurbish electronic equipment a lot not because I like it but because I cannot afford new stuff. Hell the computer I use to post here is a collection of shit.

I do not have the soldering know how to remove small pieces of stuff like resistors or anything of that nature.

You can however frankenstein other parts to build a new computer. It is easier to work on towers than laptops though. Laptops have many parts that are not really that interchangeable even if they are all the same brand.

Even if you are color blind you can still do this, just stick to using only the working components. I guess what I am trying to say is if the DVD burner doesn't work don't try to salvage all the little parts from it, just get one that works from another computer and put that into the rig you are working on. Trying to take out all the little pieces would be a serious pain in the ass.

The only thing to really watch if you do this is if you swap out power supplies make sure they match in regards to voltage. You may need some metal cutting snips to get things to fit into towers correctly if the parts don't match. It may look ridiculous but the box will function.

[-marx-]

Kludgers of the world, unite! (http://thereifixedit.failblog.org/)

There's always frankenstein towers on this page.

http://www.displayblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/iFixit_Self_Repair_Manifesto.jpg

:D


I always fix anything I can as I cant just afford to buy new stuff.

[Bitter Ashes]

That poster is so cool <3

[Lynx]

Gallery of cool pics (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Point-to-point_construction)

[bots]

if you want to do good repairs with any kind of audio equipment you'll probably need to invest in an oscilloscope at some point. a multimeter is definitely a necessary tool. both are necessary for tracing signals in circuit repair.
resistors and caps are usually ok and when they go you can tell because they'll look burned or bubbly. if the device won't turn on you've most likely got a problem with the power source. check continuity across your fuses. fuses blow for a reason though so most likely you've got a short somewhere.
cd and dvd players are under a lot of mechanical strain (opening and closing doors, pressing buttons, etc) and can usually be repaired by removing the tray and tightening a few screws.
older televisions can be pretty dangerous.
if you're taking computers apart and swapping boards around or even if you're fixing things and you have to unplug ribbon cables or wires or i.c.s always always always draw a detailed diagram of where everything plugs back in. it's a pain in the ass measuring voltages and interpreting schematics just so you can plug a circuit board back in without blowing the shit out of everything else.

frigging around with old junk is fun, but more than likely you're not going to be making any money doing it. unless you get into repairing amps and electric instruments for friends or something. free beer rules.

check out allaboutcircuits.com if you haven't already. i'm not sure what kind of theoretical knowledge you've got but this website is pretty ace.

[LegendZ]

I also have problems with red-green deficiency. I don't know if it's possible for you to make it to the US but here in the states there's a guy who makes glasses for color deficient people. Look up Azman color vision. you should see a website called colormax. I don't have those glasses now but I plan on making a trip there in a year or two. If not I would suggest going and trying to find sunglasses that have a light green or red tint and see if they help.

[danyboy27]

Something you could also do beside repairing is taking the transistor, diodes, cable, connector, and sell them in bundle on Ebay.

Plastics, Metals can be recycled for money.

A good way to accumulate metal is to fill a bucket with screws, when the bucket is full and heavy, go to a local foundry, they will probably weight it.

That way your stuff will be recycled and you could make some money too.

[-marx-]

Most people, electronic enthusiasts and electronic engineers, wont buy salvaged parts unless they are rare Germanium transistors with a verified Hfe and leakage or similar. Resistors, diodes, caps etc cost so little (a few cents each as singles) it's just not practical to bother with salvaged parts with leads cut short unless they are extremely rare parts. And even eBay sellers sell rare parts with full leads.

I used to (still do occasionally) build/design a lot of guitar effects pedals and the first thing I done was buy a ton of parts in bulk for my builds. When you buy in bulk its even cheaper.

A great store for parts, although unless you're very familiar with parts, the site wont be much use as there is literally millions of products with various specifications, is: http://www.mouser.com/

They are a brilliant store, the go-to store for most electronics engineers and DIYers. I know its not really in the spirit of salvaging to buy shit, but its a great store nonetheless and you do need to buy some stuff.


As for O-scopes, you can D/L them for your PC rather than spend a shitload on buying one. You definitely do need a DMM (digital multi meter) though. One capable of reading:resistance, capacitance, voltage, diodes, transistors. You can get them cheap. If your de-soldering alot you should also get some desoldering braid/wick and a solder sucker.

Here's some other links you may find useful if you get into it a bit more:

http://www.tone-lizard.com/Oscilloscopes.htm (older O-scope tutorial)

http://www.synthdiy.com/show/?id=2489 (DIY PCB design/great for beginners)

http://www.cadsoftusa.com/ (for drawing schematics and PCBs/there's a free version here too)

[bots]

the only problem I've had with PC scopes is they tend to have a somewhat limited allowance for input voltages. they are pretty dang neat though. desoldering braid is like magical angel hair. grab some rosin flux if you can.